Summary and spoilers
Walt gets an ominous preview of his CAT scan that he wasn’t supposed to see by reading the reflection in a framed photo behind the technician’s monitor. The lumps and bumps convince prompts him to make more money fast, especially since Saul’s laundering fees are just about halving what he makes. There’s another reason: the barrel of methylamine has a use-by date that is fast approaching. It’s use it, or lose it and steal more, so even Jesse agrees to cook. But Jesse has to blow off his new girlfriend to do that.
Skyler drops Walt off at the airport, believing that he is going to visit his mother; meanwhile, Jesse is waiting outside the terminal to pick Walt up in to the mobile meth lab. In a remote desert location, they cook an amazing 1.2 million dollars of meth. But then things start going terribly wrong. First, Jesse leaves the keys in the ignition and drains the battery. They try to jump start it with a generator that catches on fire. Jesse douses the fire with the last of their water. Walt finally relents and lets Jesse call Skinny Pete to pick them up. After waiting some time, Jesse calls him again and discovers that Pete is on the wrong road just as the phone battery runs out – and the gas lantern is finished too.
Bleakness forces Walt to remember that the generator can be slowly hand-cranked to create electricity. For the better part of a hot day, the guys take turns cranking that generator. Exhaustion also brings clarity to Jesse, who realizes that Walt’s painful coughing indicates that they are not cooking because of methylamine’s use-by date, which is a fallacy. Jesse briefly gets the engine to start, but it soon dies again before they can move. Outside in the desert, Walt coughs up blood and faces up to his own death.
Jesse won’t let this happen, however; he is the fighter who berates and prompts Walt to come up with a scientific solution: a series of battery cells made from the graphite in the brake pads and assorted loose change. Walt’s device works and they drive out.
Walt also has good news about his scan; his tumors have been reduced by 80%. The blob he saw on the scan and his coughing are caused by a non-life-threatening reaction to the radiation and can be easily remedied. The family, gathered in the doctor’s office and seated in chairs arranged like a home theater, is thrilled by this good news, and they share tears of joy. Later, alone in the hospital bathroom, Walt punches the paper towel dispenser in frustration.
Comments
Hopefully I’m not missing something obvious here, but I assume Walt is frustrated and punching the towel dispenser because he had completely accepted and been at peace with his impending death, and had provided for his family…only to find out that the struggle was going to continue indefinitely.
Those who want to see more about Skyler (count me in) might be a bit disappointed that a couple of episodes ago, she was dressing up for work with her old colleague, and that plot area has been completely dropped in the last couple of episodes.
Breaking Bad Quotes
Jesse: Yo, you wanna go shopping, go do it yourself, alright, I got plans.
Walt: Smoking marihuana, eating Cheetos, and masturbating do not constitute plans in my book!
Walt: You brought a meth lab to the airport.
Jesse: What! You said we were in a hurry; I saved us a trip.
Jesse: What are we building?
Walt: You said it yourself.
Jesse: A robot?
Walt: A battery.
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